Process of preparing beverages.



s reams is GEORGE DEFREN, OF NEWTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

rnoonss or PREPARING BEVERAGES.

No Drawing.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Gnonon Dorman a citizen ot the United States and a resident of Newton. in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Processes oi Preparing Beverages. of which the following description is a specification.

This invention relates to a process of'preparing beverages, particularly as a substitute t'or malt beverages as heretofore produced. In certain of its aspects the present invention may be considered an improvement of the process described in my Patent 1,214,518, Feb. 6, 1917.

in the patent referred to l have described a process of producing a beverage of the character of beer or ale, by means of the following steps:-Mixing with acidulated water a sullicient quantity of material containing starch and protein to supply in full the desired constituents of the product; heating the same to produce by the reaction which is commonly known as acid hydrolysis fcrmentable sugars in quantities equivalent to that obtained for the desired beverage by ordinary malt conversion; checking conversion of the n'iateriahleaving the product somewhat acid whereby to holdprotcin in solution; separating the liquid portion; caramelizing a part thereof and returning the same to the bulk; fining; boiling the product with hops and i'crn'ienting with yeast. For a 'tulleand more de ailed description of the process together with many exanmlcs, I refer to the specification of that patent.

I have been able considerably to simplil y the process described by adding the hops to the mixture of starch and protein containing material and acidulated water prior to the heating thereof to effect hydrolysis. lhe mixed-hops, (preferably disintegrated) and starch and protein containing material, suspended in the acidulatcd water, are then subjected to the action of heat at an elevated temperature explained in my patent above referred to. The process can, if desired, be continued tl'ierea'ltinas there described, omitting, of course, the boiling with hops, since the above n'ocedure gives the liquid the usualhop odor and tlavor and eliminates the step of boilin the acid converted substance with hops in the kettle and the removal of the spent hops and coagulated protein in the manner analogous to that at Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed March 27, 1917.

Patented Au. 7, mi K. Serial No. 157,770".

present in use in the production of malt' beverages. The elimination of this boiling i an obvious economy as is also the elimination of handling to remove solidmaterial. In the ordinary process hitherto used and involving the use of malt, similar elimination of. this step is impossible because the material can not be'hopped prior to the enzymic action of the malt for the reason that the hops are necessary to coagulate malt protein and to act as a filtering surface for the wort.

The acid converted productpwhether or not treated with hops during the conversion process, contains soluble carbohydrates in the .iorm of termentable sugars and also morc'or less soluble nitrogenous substances,

the nature of whichis as yet obscure, formed by the proleolysis of some of the proteids. The liquid or liquor resulting is maintained somewhat acid in order to keep in solution these nitrogenous substances. The required acidity corresponds to a, concentration lQ hvdrogen ions analogous to that of about one tenth to two tenths ofone per cent. of lactic acid in water solution.- By utilizing for conversion a strength of acid only slightly in excess of this, varying the tem-' peraluro maintained and the time of treatment as may bc necessary. the partial neutralization ol the liquor may be avoided. A small percentage oi the acid used in the conversion enters into combination With some ol the nitrogenous substances and is thus eliminated from activity.

in order to increase the amount of soluble protein matter whereby toturnish more nulrimcnt tor the yeast and thus promote the i'crnn-ntability ot th product and also in order to increase the team keeping capacity, lull bodied taste and viscosity of the result ing beverage. l may treat the unclarified liquor bcl'ore fermentation with a suitable prolcolytic cnzym. 1 Suitable enzyms for this purpose are pepsin. papain, bromclin, peptase' or the protcolytic enzym obtained from plasnmlyzed or ruptured yeast cells. From one to ten grams 'ot enzym may be employed for each barrel of 31 gallons. The temperature oi the liquid is reduced to about 40 to 5 cei'itigrade, the enzym is added and the temperature is maintained for a suitable length of time, say from 15 minutes to 1 hour. The longer the time and the greater the amount of the proteolytic enzym utilized the more soluble nitrogenouspbstances will be formed. After the liquor has been treated as described, a large percentage of any insoluble protein or undissolved hop matter remaining after the action of the enzym may be 3emoved by suitable mechanical devices, such as a centrifuge or a filter, or by fining with a soluble salt of casein. The refined liquor is then ready for fermentation with yeast in the ordinary manner.

I am aware that proteolytic enzyms have been usedto stabilize malt beverages, but these were added tomalt worts after fermentation or to the finished beers made from malt to relieve them from turbidity caused by the presence of albuminous matters. In my process I add the enzym prior to any fermentation by yeast, the object being to produce a larger quantity of soluble protein than is produced by the action of acid alone on the starch and protein containing material. The resulting beverage remains clear to the eye after bottling, with or without pasteurization and whether or not subjected to the action of cold, for example, by being placed on ice. At the same time the amount of the extract in the beverage is increased and it has better foam keeping capacity and more full bodied taste. Apparently the proteolytic enzym will remain unchanged in the finished fermented beverage.

Having thus described a desirable mannerof carrying out my invention by the way of an example, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. The process of preparing beverages of the character of beer or ale comprising the following steps z-mixing with acidulated water material containing starch and pro tein and hops heating the same to produce the required amount of fermentable sugars and at the same time hopping the mixture,

checking conversion of the material, leavingthe product acid whereby to hold protein in solution'and fermenting the liquid por tion. i

2. That step in the process of preparing beverages consisting of converting material containing starch and protein by the action of'heat and acid in the presence of hops.

3. The process of preparing beverages of the character of beer or ale comprising the following steps :-converting material containing starch and protein by the action of an aci treating the product with a suitable proteolytic enzym to produce soluble nitrogenous substances, maintaining acidity therein, separating the liquor and fermenting the same with yeast.

4. The process of preparing alcoholic beverages of the character of beer or ale comprising the following steps: mixing with acidulated water a sufficient quantity of material containing starch and protein to supply in full product, heating the same mentable sugars in quantity equivalent to that obtained for the desired beverage by ordinary malt conversion, checking conversion of the material, leaving the product somewhat acid whereby'to hold protein in solution, treating at a moderate temperature as described with proteolytic cnzym to produce soluble nitrogenous substances, and fermenting the liquor with yeast.

5. The process of preparing alcoholic beverages of the character of beer and ale comprising the following steps :mix'ing with acidulated water hops and material contain ing starch and protein, thewhole in quantity sufficient to supply in full the desired constituents of the product, heating the same to produce fermentable sugars in quantity equivalent to that obtained for the desired beverage by ordinary malt conversion, checking conversion of the material, leaving the product somewhat acid whereby to hold protein in solution, treating at a moderate temperature as described with proteolytic enzym to produce soluble nitrogenous substances, and fermenting the liquor with yeast.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

GEORGE DEFREN.

the desired constituents of the: to produce fer 

